Each week, Footballguys staff members will share the big movers in their respective Dynasty Rankings. Since the contributors will rotate, please check in weekly. The focus of this article will be on the “why” more than the movement itself. Dynasty Rankings are fluid and we hope that sharing the rationale will help you in your quest to create dynasties with all your teams. The diversity of rankings will result in a variety of opinions weekly.
Quarterbacks
Tefertiller
Russell Wilson – I was admittedly way too low on Wilson. He has looked great this season and the added weapons (DK Metcalf and Will Dissly) have enabled the veteran passer to start the season on fire. Wilson is competitive and seems to put up strong fantasy production every week.
Baker Mayfield – Expectations – and rankings – were high for Mayfield entering the season. He retained the play-caller (Kitchens) that led to a strong finish to the 2018 season. Odell Beckham was added. He was thought to be a top-5 quarterback in fantasyland. Well, we were all wrong. Mayfield looks lost out there and his impetuous nature has been flushed out as he does not have a strong feel for the game.
Grant
Dak Prescott – Now that Dallas is facing tougher defense, their offense is struggling to put points on the board. Prescott isn’t in danger of losing his job, but his ceiling is pretty solid now. I don’t see him as a top 10 fantasy quarterback going forward.
Baker Mayfield – Despite the increased wide receiving talent around him, Mayfield is not racking up the fantasy numbers you’d expect. With just four passing touchdowns in the last five games and five interceptions in the last two, it’s hard to feel like Mayfield is going to be a quarterback you can count on every week. He’s young enough to still draft for upside in a dynasty format, but he’s slipped to the second half of the ‘starting’ fantasy quarterbacks you’d target now.
Cam Newton – Newton is due to be back this week or next, but his future is definitely in question. Kyle Allen is doing a fair job managing the games and Christian McCaffery is a genuine running back stud. Newton is still a guy you probably want on your fantasy team, but you need to have other options around him in case he gets injured.
Running Back
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Derrick Henry – The Titans have looked very average these last few games, and Henry’s stats are trending in the wrong direction for fantasy owners. I don’t think you can trust him as a starter in two running back leagues, and I am bumping him down my dynasty rankings as well.
Melvin Gordon – Gordon is back but the Chargers continue to struggle. He may be shaking off the rust or he may be just bogged down in a struggling offense. Gordon wants out of San Diego but right now, he’s not putting up the stats that any NFL team will want to pay big money to sign. With his future in question, you need to approach drafting him with caution right now.
Tefertiller
Austin Ekeler – Ekeler played well last year and to begin the season. Many thought he would yield to the returning Melvin Gordon but Ekeler has easily outplayed the veteran running back. He could easily be the starting tailback next season with a Day-2 pick added at the position.
Tarik Cohen – Cohen had a strong 2018 so expectations were high that his usage would continue. Well, it has not. He is little-used and not getting enough touches to warrant the dynasty ranking. While still a quality player, Cohen will need 10-15 touches per game in order to be every-week fantasy-viable.
Matt Breida – Breida is another lesser-discussed back outplaying the bigger names. His long run against the Browns last week was a great indication of why Breida needs more touches. He is solid between the tackles with breakaway speed.
Wide Receiver
Tefertiller
D.J. Chark – Chark moves up to the WR2 level as he has played well this season. Chark’s strong play has pushed preseason darling Dede Westbrook to an afterthought. The interesting part in the dynasty community is how undervalued Chark continues to be in trades.
Cooper Kupp – Kupp is the top receiver for the Rams. Jared Goff looks to him in the redzone and when needing a big catch. Playing in a stellar offense, Kupp should be valued as a fantasy WR1 going forward.
Chris Godwin – The time has come to move Chris Godwin up to the top tier and Mike Evans down. Godwin has been impressive and flourished in the Bruce Arians offense. Godwin is the team’s top receiver.
Grant
Chris Godwin – The Tampa offense continues to put up big passing numbers and Chris Godwin is a solid receiving option now in any fantasy format. In year’s past, Mike Evans was the ball hog in Tampa, but now Godwin can easily be counted on for seven or eight catches each week. Three consecutive games with 125 yards receiving or more are more than just a fluke – and Godwin can confidently be drafted as your #2 wide receiver with top-10 upside if this trend continues.
Tyler Boyd – Even with A.J. Green returns, Boyd has proven he warrants serious consideration in your fantasy lineups. The entire offense struggled against the Ravens this week, but Boyd was still targeted seven times. When Green returns, I expect Boyd’s stats to actually improve as defenses are forced to deal with Green. Boyd is a guy you can target as a late #2 wide receiver, and certainly for a wide receiver #3 or flex option.
Diontae Johnson – The Pittsburgh offense is a huge question mark, but Johnson appears to be the guy who has emerged as the #2 wide receiver opposite JuJu Smith-Schuster. He’s still a rookie wide receiver so don’t expect a ton from him this season but expect that his stats and skills will improve as the season wears on.
Cooper Kupp – The Rams clearly missed Kupp and his return to the Los Angeles offense has been pretty impressive. This week the entire team struggled against the 49ers, but Kupp has more than 100 yards receiving over the previous four weeks. He’s a solid #2 wide receiver in any fantasy format and he has the upside to be a #1 WR.
Tight End
Tefertiller
Austin Hooper – Hooper is scoring PPR points at an elite level. He moves up to TE3 in my rankings and needs to be considered a must-start every week. Quarterback Matt Ryan has targeted Hooper at an increased rate this season.
Will Dissly – Dissly played well as a rookie before being lost for the season. It took him a week to get going, but the Seahawks tight end had been scoring at a high level before suffering an Achilles injury in the win over the Browns.
Dawson Knox – The rookie started the season slowly while recovering from injury. He has picked it up since. Knox is a player to acquire before he has a huge game. He has a solid rapport with quarterback Josh Allen.
Ben Watson – Watson played well in preseason and there was hope he would be a fantasy starter once back from suspension, but he was not activated. Coach Bill Belichick told reporters the team did not have the roster space. Whether that is true or not, a player of Watson’s age without a team does not belong in the rankings … so he was replaced by someone with more upside.
Grant
Evan Engram – As the Giants offense struggles, so does Evan Engram. He missed this week’s game due to injury, but his previous two weeks were not great either. He’s still a decent #1 tight end for your fantasy team and he’s still young enough to draft him for upside as the Giants rebuild.
Hunter Henry – Henry returned to the field against the Steelers this week and immediately made a huge impact with 100 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns. When healthy, he’s an absolute rockstar of a tight end – with top five-fantasy production. The key is can he stay healthy. Draft him as your #1 fantasy tight end but make sure to have options behind him for the inevitable injury.
Jordan Akins – Akin deserves some fantasy consideration – at least in typical dynasty leagues that have deep benches. He’s becoming a three- or four-catch-per-week guy, but his upside is still limited. He had a great game against the Chargers in week 3 but hasn’t done much since. Keep him on your fantasy radar and draft him and hold him if you have the depth.
If you would like to review our most recent Dynasty rankings, here is a link.